Final Farwell to Friends

We finished up our last day with some champagne and long goodbyes.  Even though we had only spent a week together, it was hard to say goodbye to such a great group of friends.  We sloshed through the mud together, fell into knee-deep bog holes together, stretched together, shared stories of home and family, checked for leeches on each other, wrapped blistered toes together, and made it through the Overland Track together.  Thanks to everyone for making this a trip of a lifetime.  And thanks to our guides, Polly and Grady, for getting us through it all!

Day 6: Windy Ridge to Lake St Clair

Our last day on the trail we walked through giant eucalyptus forests as we made our way to Lake St Clair.  It was another sunny day without a raincloud in sight.  We all dollied as we soaked up the last of the beautiful forests, wildflowers and song birds.  It has been an amazing journey through a magical land where, "where there is no time and nothing matters."

Total Time:  3.5 hours
Total Distance:  5.6 miles

Day 5: Kia Ora to Windy Ridge

 

Today was our longest day on the trail at 9 hours.  It was an epic day with lots of side trips to amazing waterfalls and swimming in the Mersey River.  As the guides described the day, it was "a bit of up, down, up, more up, and a bit down."  We rested at the historic hut built by an early fur trapper named Paddy Hartnet and then wandered through some of the oldest rainforest in the park with King Billy Pines as old as 2,000 years.  It was another sunny and beautiful day.  Tomorrow is the last day in this beautiful place and I am wishing I could stay another week.  My body is tired, but my mind feels rejuvenated.

Total Time:  9 hours
Total Distance:  10 miles

Day 4: Pelion Plains to Kia Ora

 

Today we climbed from the valley to Pelion Gap.  We left our packs at Pelion Gap and climbed up and around Mt. Doris and through the "Japanese Gardens" at the base of Mt. Ossa.  The pin cushions were just gorgeous.  We huddled around the rocks for lunch as the sleet and snow swirled about us.  It was too cold for the water to boil so we went without our afternoon tea.  Some hearty souls of the group decided to try to summit Mt. Ossa in the mist.  Since I was already cold with my five layers, I opted to return back to Pelion Gap and onto Kia Ora Hut with the rest of the group.

Total Time:  6.5 hours
Total Distance:  8 miles

Day 3: Pine Forest Moor to Pelion Plains

You learn something everyday.  Today I learned I don't like leeches.  I didn't read anything about Tasmania or the Overland Track having leeches.  Grady found one on his pack during our lunch break at Frog Flats.  It was awful, creeping and wiggling.  After that I thought I felt them all over me.  At one point I thought I had one on my face and I turned around to ask Grady if there was a leech on my face.  To my surprise, he said yes!  And then proceeded to pull the bugger off of my eyelid!  I ended up finding three others on me at various times during the day.  Other than the leeches, it was another fantastic day.

 

Total Time:  8 hours

Total Distance:  9 miles

Day 2: Barn Bluff to Pine Forest Moor

Our second day on the trail was rainy and cold.  I had read that it rains a lot on the Overland Track, so I was mentally prepared for the day in the rain.  It wasn't that bad and everything in my pack stayed dry.  I am really glad I opted to use one of TMC's gortex rain jackets.  It was a good weight and kept me dry even after an entire day in the rain.  It was also nice to have the pit-zips on the jacket as we warmed up pretty quickly when walking.  Today's walk took us through undulating moorlands and across rocky plains.  We did the side trip Lake Will and the Forth Valley Overlook which was shrouded in mist.

Total Time:  7.5 hours

Total Distance: 9.5 miles

Day 1: Waldheim to Barn Bluff

  

The first day of the hike was a gorgeous sunny day.  We donned our packs and set out like a group of exuberant kids.  The terrain was beautiful and varied.  We started near Waldheim Chalet, crossed button grass fields and creek fed valleys, stopped for a swim at Crater Lake, and then climbed up to Marion's Lookout.  After Marion's Lookout most of the group decided to take advantage of the sunny day and climb to the summit of Cradle Mountain.  You can see cradle mountain off in the distance in the photo.  It is a rocky and steep climb.  I opted out of this side trip since it was the first day of the trip and I didn't want to over do it.  Those opting for the climb up Cradle Mountain arrived at the hut about 3-4 hours after we did and barely before dark.  It was a fantastic first day on the trail for everyone.  My pack wasn't too heavy and the scenery was spectacular.

 

Total Time:       7.5 hours

Total Distance:  7 miles

Patagonia Black Hole Duffel 45L

I was able to get all of my clothing, meds, hiking poles, camp shoes, and other essentials into the 45L Patagonia Black Hole Duffel.  I am feeling pretty good about the weight and with the smaller size duffel, I will be able to use it as a carry-on for the flight to Tasmania.  Since my trek starts the day after I arrive, I don't want to risk checking my luggage and having it not arrive.  I'll probably check it for the flight home, but for now, I'm keeping all of my stuff with me.

It's Getting Cold

It is getting rather chilly in Utah.  I think the high today was 34 degrees.  It was a great training hike for damp, cold and windy weather.  We made it through the Up and Over although the north ridge was pretty slick on the way down.  I continued to add a couple 5 pound weights to my pack to simulate all my gear.  The big trip is less than a week away!

Weighing Everything

In an effort to keep my pack light, I purchased a small shipping scale so I can weigh everything and really know where the weight is in my pack. I bought the UltraShip 35 for about $30.  The UltraShip has been a great help for the decision-making process to decide what I should take and what should stay home.  If you are worried about pack weight, I would definitely recommend getting a good scale.  I think I will use this for all my trips.

Up and Down

 

We had the day off for the Veteran's Day holiday, so we were able to do a nice hike midweek.  We did the Up and Down at Red Butte.  The Up and Down is similar to the Up and Over, where we hike to the ridge but then we come back down the same side.  Still some good elevation gain up to the ridge and a faster down back to the car.  The down was steeper than we recalled, but still a straight shot.  We only saw a couple people out on the trail.  It was a cold and windy day, so a great training day for the Tasmanian winds.  I stuck two 5 pound weights in my pack to make it heavier.  It certainly changes the way the pack feels.

Trailhead Elevation:  4,990 ft

Ridge Elevation: 6,348 ft

Total Elevation: 1,358 ft

Total Distance:  3.5 miles

Total Time:  2:15 hours

Onion Creek Bench Trail

 

Back in Moab again to spend the weekend with Becky and Chad.  We got up early on Saturday morning to do a quick hike to wear out the dogs. We were going to do Fisher Towers, but the parking lot was already crowded, so we regrouped and did the Onion Creek Bench Trail instead.  It was a good choice as we had the trail mostly to ourselves, other than one group of horseback riders.  It was another beautiful morning. The trail is a loop trail that follows a stream bed up to a ridge, across a double track heading south with a great view of Fisher Towers in the distance, and then back down another wash to the beginning.  

Trailhead Elevation:

Ridge Elevation:

Total Elevation Gain:

Total Distance:  3 miles

Total Time:  1.5 hours

Keeping it Light

I have been reading a number of hiking blogs dedicated to keeping your pack light.  There is a lot of interest in the new "ultralight" hiking and backpacking.  I find the minimalist approach to gear appealing.  My favorite website is Hike Light.  They have a great 3-day gear list with actual weights and item details. I also bought some super light waterproof mitts (1.2 oz) and gaiters (2.30 oz) from Mountain Laurel Designs.  Another good resource is Hyperlite Mountain Gear.  I bought a couple of the HMG cuben fiber stuff sacks.  Here are the links to these websites:

 

hikelight.com

mountainlaureldesigns.com

hyperlitemountaingear.com

Negro Bill Canyon

 

For our last hike with Hilborns, we hiked Negro Bill Canyon.  It was a great third day on the trails.  I hadn't hiked Negro Bill in a long time. Probably at least 20 years. The trailhead is always so crowded we usually go elsewhere. But it is a gorgeous hike along a creek and ends at Morning Glory Arch.  It was a beautiful hike and we managed to avoid the crowds since it was so late in the season. The canyon was named after William Granstaff, a black prospector and rancher who grazed his cattle in the canyon during the 1800's.

Trailhead Elevation:  3,980 ft
Morning Glory Elevation:  4,380 ft
Total Elevation Gain:  400 ft
Total Distance:  4.5 miles
Total Time:  2.5 hours

Jeep Arch

We skirted the rain all day, but had a great time on the Jeep Arch loop trail.  This is a great trail off of Potash Road outside of Moab.  It was significantly colder than yesterday which provided me plenty of practice layering clothes and taking my jacket on and off.  We explored a couple of spurs and tried to find our way down the wash without success.  Still another great day on the trail.  I love this photo of Mary, Diane and Doug in the arch.




Trailhead Elevation:  3,960 ft
Jeep Arch Elevation:  4,975 ft
Total Elevation Gain:  1,015 ft
Total Distance:  5 miles
Total Time:  3:40 hours

Fisher Towers - Partial

     

 We drove to Moab for the weekend to spend some time at the cabin. The Hilborns joined us for the adventure.  For our afternoon hike today we did Fisher Towers. We got a late start so we weren't able to make it all the way to the trail's end, but we made it pretty far.   It was a windy warm evening and hardly seemed like November.  I love hiking in the red rocks.

Trailhead Elevation:  4,630 ft
Overlook Elevation:  5,300 ft
Total Elevation Gain:  670 ft
Total Distance:  4 miles
Total Miles:  2 hours